This invention relates to an apparatus for supplying objects to be bound to an automatic band-binding means in which the objects are put in sequence in the fixed position into the automatic band-binding means and the band-binding operation is automatically effected at several places on each object.
When it is desired to automatically and successively bind with bands objects which are continuously fed to an apparatus for binding with bands by means of a conveyer system (not shown) arranged in front of and at the back of said apparatus, an operator has only to watch whether or not the objects to be bound with bands are fed in order to the apparatus, if packing positions are detected by the apparatus and, therefore, it is possible to achieve a sharp reduction in the number of working personnel and in the work burden.
Most manufactured products produced in large quantities are packed in cartons or wooden cases for shipping. In addition, in most cases, such packed articles are bound with bands to prevent disorder thereof.
If the size of objects to be bound with bands is fixed, it will be easy to select automatically the positions where the objects are bound with bands. On the contrary, if objects of different sizes to be bound with bands are fed in a random sequence to an automatic band-binding means, it will be necessary to distinguish the sizes of the objects and to provide means for effecting the band-binding operation at desired positions.
Apparatuses for binding according to the prior art were effectively usable for objects of a fixed size which were to be bound with bands, but were not capable of binding objects of different sizes supplied in a random sequence because such apparatuses have no ability to measure the sizes of the objects to be bound with bands. There has been as yet no proposal of a mechanism for selecting band-binding positions.